Birkenstock Review on Amazon goes Viral

As I stated in my previous post about the new Birkenstock Black Imprint and the New Blue Birkenstock Shoe Box; Birkenstock is switching to black print and blue shoe boxes and these changes are her to stay.

Here are some examples of an an authentic new Birkenstock production including this pair that just arrived:









and a closer look at the footsole:


and again:





And here's an unfortunate example of someone who didn't get the Birkenstock memo:

Amazon customers like the one below incorrectly assumed that they received fakes because they were not aware of the latest production changes that Birkenstock has been making!  This Amazon Review posted for Birkenstock's Mayari went viral...the only problem..the reviewer had it wrong! 

1.0 out of 5 starsFakes!  no; not really... it's just the new Birkenstock design!

ByAmazon Customeron June 13, 2016

Size: 38 M EU|Color: Stone|Verified Purchase

I was really excited when I ordered this because I've wanted birks for forever but when they came they were very obviously not true Birkenstocks! The writing on the sole was black instead of the usual yellow color. Also the order of all of the symbols and writing was different than the picture. I ordered these in stone and it wasn't even grey. It was much closer to an olive green color. I don't know if it's just a defect in this specific color or this seller but I did NOT receive the shoes that were in the picture. Also, authentic birks come in a white and blue box with a feather on it. Mine came in an all blue box which was another sign that they were not true Birkenstocks 😕😕 very disappointed

Amy1 month agoIn reply toan earlier post

I also ordered the same and feel like they aren't authentic. Just returned mine...

and below is the correct answer explaining the updated looks of the 
new blue Birkenstock shoe box and the new black printing on the footbed.

Availar James 2 days ago (Edited)

Birkenstock is indeed upgrading their shoe boxes and some of the shoe designs resulting in confusion (reading the review above is a good example). Birkenstock are still of the same quality and looks but there are some changes that you need to be aware of: the newly updated sandals (latest production we received in July/August 2016) ships in a newly designed Birkenstock shoe box (new blue design with handy size measuring guide printed on inside of shoe box). 

Do a search for Birkenstock Blue Box on Google and/or contact the Birkenstock's factory directly in Germany (http://www.birkenstock-group.com/contact-en-form.htm); they will confirm the above. The new blue Birkenstock shoe box is here to stay! 

Retailers may still have inventory of the original white box, or, have newer inventory of the blue box; take a deep breath and relax; they are all genuine. As most of you already know, Birkenstocks notoriously run about half a size large (they are still foremost orthopedic sandals which is why we love them in the first place) and this new feet measuring guide (printed on the inside of the new shoe box) will partially solve the sizing challenges associated with Birks. One more important update: the newer sandals may now also come with black (not yellow) lettering (this is the black printed logo and size info which is printed on the footbed). In the past, Birkenstock used mostly yellow lettering for its classic footbeds and blue (and sometimes yellow) for its soft footbeds. They are now upgrading their sandals to black lettering as well (this was already the case for the white version of Mayari and Arizona which have always had black lettering - do a simple search in google for Mayari White or Arizona White). Images on Amazon may not reflect the latest production changes yet but you can take a look at some of the uploaded pictures in our own product review posted on August 26, 2016. 

In short; yellow, black and blue lettering, they are all OK. Our final and perhaps most important opinion: we feel it is best is to stick with ordering from Prime vendors (Fulfillment by Amazon). On the product page: click for example "13 new from $99.95" and check the "Prime" button on the upper left of your screen. You will get a ranking of vendors that offer Prime. If you are still considering purchasing Birkenstocks from overseas vendors (in specific, vendors that ship from that big nation in Asia that we will not specifically name), you should always inspect the footbed of your new Birkenstock sandals upon arrival. The Birkenstock logo should be imprinted on the footbed of each shoe. The registered trademark symbol is situated immediately to the right of it. Just below the logo you should see "Made in Germany". So if you receive either a white- or the newer blue shoe box, they are both genuine and made by Birkenstock Germany; just from a different production date. Our final "two cents": go with Amazon Prime vendors = Stored, Packed & Shipped by Amazon, Eligible for Free Shipping with Amazon Customer Service 24 x 7.

Availar James 7 days ago (Edited)

Before you jump to any conclusions, you should know that the latest production of Birkenstock sandals comes packaged in a Birkenstock box which is blue with white lettering, exactly like the one you received (Birkenstock appears to have upgraded to their new box design in late 2016 but still uses the original box on some shoe models). You are correct to note that the original box was white with blue lettering. Based on your pictures, you must have received the latest production. From what I can tell, you received the stone color. In my opinion, stone does not equal grey. Stone is a light beige color exactly like its name implies. Opinions on color are understandably so subjective so I understand that they appear to be olive green to you. But for me, your pictures show the light beige stone color for sure. In regards to the lettering on the sole: I have seen blue and yellow lettering on shoes in the past; yellow "usually" means regular cork footbed and blue "usually" means soft footbed. For the black lettering, this appears to be valid as well; I would advise to do an image search on Google. Search for Mayari White for example and you will notice that they are made with black lettering including some results from authorized Birkenstock websites. Most often, Birkenstock appears to use blue lettering for the soft footbeds and yellow lettering for the original cork footbeds (although I have seen them being used intermittently). The new production of Mayari's seems to have black lettering.

NEW versus OLD printing (both by Birkenstock Germany)

above: new black lettering on footbed is being introduced by Birkenstock - you may already receive this new style when you buy your Birkenstocks through Amazon - indicating that you received the latest production.

above: yellow lettering on footbed is being phased out by Birkenstock - you may still receive some in the classic "old school" yellow print until Birkenstock runs out of stock - but the newly updated designs with "black printed info" on the footbed is shipping now from Amazon and other retailers.  hang on to your yellow-printed Birks; they may become collectors items in a couple of years!

Birkenstock Black Print on Footsole vs Yellow Print on Footsole

Black Lettering vs Yellow Lettering: It's all Good
  

 

WHY did Birkenstock change their footprint color from yellow to black? I was so shocked.  It used to be either yellow (solid cork footbed) or blue (soft footbed) but now they are making the imprints in black!  What happened?  I loved the old school "yellow lettering" on the footbeds and the classic white shoe box with the feather on it.  But now, it appears the German purveyor of fashionable orthopedic footwear is phasing out the classic yellow imprint as well as the original white shoe box. Guess I should stock up on old Birks!

As of early summer 2016, I am seeing the new production sandals (Mayari, Arizona, Gizeh, etc) with the new black prints on the footsole (please see pictures below).  This is leading to utter confusion amount Birk fanatics; leading some of them to incorrectly assume that the new Birks with black printing are "fake"; which they are not.

And, while the white Birkenstock shoe box is still being used for the time being; the company is slowly upgrading to their new BLUE shoe box design. If you still receive a white shoe box; consider yourself lucky because you are holding something that soon will be a RARITY among sandal fanatics like myself.  
 
See this post on Amazon titled "Fakes!" which was probably well intended but totally misguided partially because neither Birkenstock USA, Zappos or Amazon has updated their images yet.  This has resulted in some kind of chain reaction making other customers believe their shoes were fake too!  I thought Germans operated like ultra-precision high-speed nano-second-splitting robots...obviously they are not. 

So, are my Birkenstocks with black lettering in the blue box real?  The short answer is Yes. In fact, Birkenstock Europe is finally updating their website(s) showing the new design (see 2 examples below).

  



 
  

When in doubt, make sure they have the text "Made in Germany" on the footsole with an encircled letter  'R' (registered trademark) next to the Birkenstock name) exactly as shown on the example below.
  
New Birks will now ship in BLUE boxes and have the BLACK printing on the footbeds as shown below!

NEW re-design by Birkenstock!
New Birkenstock sandals now come with BLACK printing on the footbed!

Birkenstock New Blue Shoe Box vs Old White Shoe Box

Blue vs White Birkenstock Shoe Box

Out with the old.  Above is the original Birkenstock shoe box.  This old style shoe box in an all-white design features blue lettering and the famous feather on top.  This style is being phased out by Birkenstock (although they are still shipping it until their stock runs out).

In with the new.  Above is the new BLUE Birkenstock shoe box.  This new style shoe box in an all-blue design and features white lettering.  The famous feather is no longer on top of the box; it was replaced with the Birkenstock logo.  This style is now being introduced by Birkenstock (although they are still using the original white box design for some models until their stock runs out).

A new blue box design for Birkenstock has arrived!

WHY did Birkenstock change their design? We loved the old school "yellow lettering" on the footbeds and the classic white shoe box with the feather on it.  But now, it appears the German purveyor of fashionable orthopedic footwear is phasing out the classic yellow imprint and... phasing out the original white shoe box.  Instead, we are seeing the new production sandals (Mayari, Arizona, Gizeh, etc) with the new black prints on the footsole.  This is leading to confusion amount Birk fanatics; leading some customers to incorrectly assume that the new Birks with black printing are "fake".  And, while the white Birkenstock shoe box is still being used for the time being; the company is slowly upgrading to their new BLUE shoe box design. If you receive a white shoe box; consider yourself lucky because you are holding something that soon will be a RARITY.  

WHY did Birkenstock upgrade to their new BLUE shoe box design?  The easy answer; sizing challenges that are uniquely Birkenstock!  Birks are foremost ORTHOPEDIC sandals that have only recently have become a fashion icon.  Birkenstock still stresses the fact that their orthopedic clients are their main consumer target - not the fashionistas!  However, the new fashionista customer did not always realize that Birks were generously sized for orthopedic reasons.  So, this new type of "consumer" claimed that Birks run "too large".  These words make the manufacturer and it's true orthopedic customer base "cringe".  If you have been wearing Birks for a while, you know that they are never too large.  They they are just sized generously to support your feet the proper way!  

In response to the "too large" reviews, Birkenstock has now introduced the Blue Shoe Box design which contains a handy size measuring guide printed on inside of shoe box (great for people that want to try to the sandals in a store...but still not really useful for people that buy online).